Ever since we are little kids, we are told to thank others if they do something for us. In fact, it is one of the most common phrases used in the English Language today. An average American will utter these words up to five times each day. After all, this is the polite thing to do, right? But have you ever stopped to think how many times do you say the same thing to yourself? After everything you do for yourself, don’t you think that you need some appreciation? We compliment people and tell them they are great every day, but why do we forsake this kindness when it comes to us? Read on How to start appreciating yourself.
Knowing Your Own Self Worth Is The Key To True Happiness
Some may say that doing so would be narcissistic and self-centered behavior. They consider this sort of attitude to be vain and conceited, and nobody likes a person who is all that! However, in reality, appreciating oneself is incredibly important to guarantee true happiness and contentment. Don’t believe me? Let’s find out why.
Psychologists say that people who love and accept themselves as they are live a much happier life than those who don’t. Every one of us already has enough critics as it is, without us being the biggest ones. To combat all the negativity prevalent in the modern world, it is exceedingly important to be kind and loving to oneself.
Constantly putting yourself down and disregarding all the good things you do can turn you into a bitter person who is always dissatisfied with themselves. And when you dislike yourself so much, living your best life becomes an unachievable dream.
How Can You Begin To Show Yourself The Love You Deserve?
Not too long ago, I was not in a good place. I was underperforming at work and had hundreds of problems I couldn’t seem to sort at home. And all of this just kept getting worse with every passing day. I was stuck in a downward spiral that was headed to a very dark place. I hated the version of myself that I was becoming, but I didn’t know how to get out of it.
Then one day, my best friend sat me down and talked with me. She made me realize how I was so unfair to myself. I was only focusing on my failures and always putting myself down. My achievements went by me unnoticed because I never regarded them as enough.
After some self-reflection, I realized there really was truth to her words. And this was the thing that was driving my descent into the downward spiral that I was trying to fight so hard! And so, I decided to bring about some permanent changes in my attitude towards myself. Believe it or not, doing these tiny things completely turned my life around, and I was once again, a happy and confident woman! Become empowered.
In these times, many suffer from the same problems. This is even more true of women, who always judge themselves too harshly and deny themselves any self-appreciation. For my sisters who are battling the wars I once fought, I use a few tips to make sure I do not fall down that dreaded rabbit hole again! Let’s begin.
#IChoose to identify where my negativity comes from
Whenever I find myself excessively criticizing everything I do, #IChoose to take a step back and reassess the situation. I try to identify where all this negativity is coming from and attempt to pinpoint the exact source of this unnecessary criticism. Once I have figured out the origin, I choose to nip the problem at the bud.
For example, I had recently been struggling with my body image. I would tell myself I needed to lose weight every day and even resort to starving myself. Upon some contemplation, I managed to identify the accounts I was following on Instagram to be the source. People telling me how my body was not beautiful unless it looked like theirs was the reason why I was so unfair to myself. Once I had that figured out, I only had to block the accounts, which promoted an unhealthy body image to regain my confidence. Get some motivational Tips Here.
#IChoose to be thankful to every part of myself
Let’s continue with the example we just discussed. With society telling me I was too fat to be beautiful, I started to hate my arms because they juggled. Often, my bloated stomach would disgust me. And do not even get me started on what my thighs made me feel!
But instead of succumbing to these negative feelings, I decided to wage war against them. I began to remind myself of everything my body does for me. I really enjoy running, and I told myself it was only possible because of the legs I felt so bad about. My stomach held my food and kept me healthy, and my arms allowed me to hug my loved ones! Instead of feeling bad about these parts of myself, I learnt to show them the love they deserve.
#IChoose to make a list of all that I am proud of
Everybody feels bad about their lives sometimes, and especially when they have just been through failure. With me, as with many others, my failures tend to remind me of other shortcomings. And before I know it, my disappointment in one small thing has snowballed into me feeling worthless. Because I know that is a problem with me, I always keep myself prepared.
When I find myself in such a situation, I take a pen and a piece of paper and begin listing down everything I am proud of today. It doesn’t have to be very big, as long as it made me happy once. One by one, I write down all that I have achieved in my life to date and then read the list through. And before I am halfway through the list, I can feel myself getting out of that dark spell already!
#IChoose to treat myself when I do something right
What’s a better way of showing yourself some love than treating yourself once in a while? You got it. Nothing!
As a token of self-appreciation, I like to do something special for myself every now and then. It can be a vacation I had been dying to go to, a trip to the spa, or even binge-watching my favorite show. Whenever I achieve something (and even without an occasion), I remember to say thank you by doing something beautiful for myself.
#IChoose to allow others to love me
To quote one of my favorite books of all time, “we accept the love we think we deserve.” When we do not think anything good about ourselves, we tend not to accept the love from other people. We push away anyone who tries to get close to us and care about us. And this is one of the biggest disservices that we can do for ourselves.
So, while I learn to love myself, #IChoose to allow others to show me the same love, I ensure that I am not throwing away a chance at a happy and fulfilled relationship just because I think I am not worthy of it. By letting my partner love me unconditionally, I tell myself that I am deserving of this love.
#IChoose to make self-appreciation a ritual
One of my biggest secrets to ensuring self-love is telling myself I am worth it repeatedly. Sure, making a list of all your achievements when you are feeling down helps you feel better. But if you do not keep repeating to yourself the reasons you should appreciate yourself, it’s easy to fall victim to negative thoughts again.
#IChoose to keep the unnecessary criticism away by picking positivity over it. I make self-appreciation a ritual. Every morning when I get up from the bed and walk into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I repeat positive affirmations to myself. I tell myself I am worthy, I am kind, and I am smart. And I believe it.
#IChoose to forgive myself for my own shortcomings
Last but not least, #IChoose to be aware of my weaknesses and forgive myself for them. This step is probably the toughest in this entire list, but it is also the most important one. It is only when you have accepted yourself for who you are and acknowledged every part of yourself – even the bad ones – that you can genuinely value yourself!
It’s A Wrap
You might think that downplaying your victories will help you try harder for even bigger ones, but that is simply not true. If you do not give yourself the love you deserve, you tend to lose the motivation for doing better over time. Trust me, that’s not a road you want to go down!
So, gear up and tell yourself what you are thankful for today – and it better include yourself! Remember, a Queen who cannot keep her head held up high is destined to lose her crown.
You might wonder why I’m always saying #IChoose, Well… it puts you in more control. Try It!
